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Missed your Google Wave invite? Fear not, scammers to the rescue!

Symantec Security Response has detected a scam campaign that is luring people who want to get into the Google Wave community.

03 November, 2009 12:38

<p>Google Wave is a new online tool for real-time communication and collaboration developed by Google. Many people who missed the initial sign up for this application are now seeking invites to the service. Scammers have latched onto this and are trying to take advantage of Google Wave’s current popularity and trusted brand status to peddle malware to unsuspecting victims.</p><p>Symantec Security Response has detected a campaign luring people who want to get into the Google Wave community by promising not only an application that generates Google Wave invites, but also the opportunity to profit by selling these invites to other people who want to ride the Google Wave. In reality, this promised application does not work and is actually a piece of malware.</p><p>Scammers draw attention to their latest scam by automatically posting entries on forums and microblogging sites such as Twitter across the Web. They offer forum users or Twitter users the opportunity to download the application to generate Google Wave invites. Once the scammers have the word out, the next stage is to get victims to download and install this malicious application: Examples of these blog posts can be found at: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/xrumer-spammer-s-toolkit</p><p>The promise of a Google Wave invite, and extra cash by selling additional invites, is the lure to try and trick users into running the software. In this case, Google Wave was only selected as the bait because of its current popularity. Using a trusted brand like Google also increases the chance of success for the attacker. This technique is something cybercriminals use all the time and internet users should not let their guard down – if something appears too good to be true, then it usually is.</p><p>Symantec customers are protected from this attack as long as they have their antivirus definitions up to date.</p><p>Consumer advice:</p><p>Be careful what you click on. Exercise caution when clicking on links from unknown senders.</p><p>Only download applications from reputable sources. In this case, Google Wave’s official website has a page for users to request invites.</p><p>Deploy protection: Arm yourself with strong and updated security software to catch and prevent malware from downloading. Norton’s 2010 products proactively protect from spyware, viruses, worms, hackers and botnets, and other security risks.</p><p>Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to speak with a Symantec expert.</p><p>Media Contact:</p><p>Jasmin Athwal</p><p>Max Australia</p><p>+61 2 9954 3492</p><p>Jamsin.Athwal@maxaustralia.com.au</p>

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